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Show n ctv t .tnss L rr - - 'hv4 i . ! , 1aJ . Benny Haveni By ELMO SCOTT WATSON From Nevada's hoary rliltres. from utormy conata of Maine From I.av Beds and Tallow Stone the Story never waned-Whenever waned-Whenever duly called, thev went, Iholr Bleeps were never slow With "Alma Mater" on thMr lips and 'Benny Havens. Oh" When this life's troubled sea Is o'er and our last battle's through. If God permits us mortals there his blest domain to view Then we shall see In glory crowned, in proud celestial row The friends we've known and loved so well at Benny Havens', Hav-ens', Oh I" HAT oflteer of Hie United suites nrmy from the merest mer-est "shave tail" up to a general with four stars on Ills shoulders has not heard that verse and for a brief moment been carried back to "Alma Mater," the United Unit-ed Stntes Military Academy Acad-emy at West Point, N. Y.l For one of (lie most picturesque pic-turesque and beloved traditions tra-ditions of that famous military mil-itary SChnnl whai'd ..n,lt tion Is so strong, centers around the name of Kenny Havens. Who was Benny Havens? One of America's famous generals, n graduate of whom west Point Is proud? A beloved be-loved teacher at the academv? Well Jmrdly I Sometime prior to 1832 Benny Havens came to West Point and oe-cpled oe-cpled a one-story cottage a short distance dis-tance west of where the old cadet hos pitai, now the nurses' quarters, stands "What his ancestry was or where he cnme from no one seems to know But after all those things are relatively unimportant, for the beginnings of a tradition are frequently wrapped in a mist of obscurity, but a tradition Is none the less dear on that account In the early days of Benny's residence at the post he sold to the cadets ale cakes and cider, and In the winter' buckwheat cakes and cider flip. Later on the cider flip became ale flip and still later something a hit stronger was added to his bill of fare It was this "something" which led to Benny's undoing, for he was expelled from the reservation. By this time Benny had become so attached to the corps of cadets and the cadets had become so attached to Benny that neither could think of allowing this expulsion to mean his retirement to the obscurity from which lie had come. So he set up his little shop Just off the post In what later became known as "The House by the Iiiver," a Mecca to which so muny of Aest Point's famous sons made 'frequent, 'fre-quent, even if forbidden, pilgrimages lor slipping out of hounds to the hos- vmwie nreside . of Benny Havens where food and drink could be Illegally Illegal-ly obtained, contrary tn the rules and regulations .which have always char-atterized char-atterized the dignity and order of this severe academy, was one of the offenses of-fenses for which a cadet could be "skinned" (today they call it "squilied," I. e. reported for one of the many breaches of regulations). For instance, take the case of Cutlet Armstrong Custer of Ohio along about the year 1S01. Custer himself has recorded re-corded "my offenses against law and order were not great In enormity but r- - 1 i - , hi jv - :f.sr . - - " fKl t - 3 , I 1 1 ' - ' - ' what they lacked in magnitude tliej made up in number. The forbidden locality of Benny Havens possessed stronger attractions than the study and demonstration of a problem in Euclid." If you go to West Point today to-day you can find in an old sheepskin bound volume the record of Custer's "skiu sheet," bearing the list of offenses of-fenses for which Cadet Custer was reported. In all there are 453 separate "skins" wilh a total of 812 demerits and many of them are for partaking of Benny's hospitality. Since a cade! is allowed S35 demerits before he is dismissed, Custer had only 23 more to go when he was graduated. So he came very nearly being denied his chance for fame and America came very nearly losing one of her most brilliant cavalry officers. But if Benny Havens had a part in this, it was by no means a unique case. Many another an-other oflicer who later became famous could testify to a number of "skins" because they simply could nol resist Benny's Pitcher. the charm of Benny Havens' hospitality. hospi-tality. "Benny Havens' character was many Sided, kind to children, Invariably courteous to women," so reads a sketch in "Bugle Notes," the handbook of the United States Corps of Cadets, or "tha nlohoc' D;i,in 'i ... . oo n ls cauea at West Point. "He was possessed of a terrible and ungovernable temper There was an Indefinite something about his personality, that bound his friends to him by inseparable ties. Virtues and qualities were his which helped to shape the lives of and give guidance to, as they rose to life's pinnacles, many whose names are now engraved on the pages of history." For instance there was a certain cadet named Edgar Allan Poe. During Dur-ing the short stay ot that erratic in dividual al the academy, (he was dismissed dis-missed after being there about six i V v A 1 J ; t - r I months) Poe frequently visited Benny's Ben-ny's place of business while it was still on the reservation and became devoted de-voted to him. The future poet often remarked that "Benny was the sols congenial soul in the entire God-forsaken place." Benny lived to the ripe old age of eighty-eight years. Taps were sounded sound-ed for him on May 29, 1877, and now he sleeps in the Highland Union ceme-tary ceme-tary on the banks of the river he loved so well. But West Point ls rich in memories of Benny Havens. If you go there today they will show you the pitcher from which he served his famous cider flip. But most of all his fame is preserved in the song which has been carried literally around the world by West Pointers. That song was composed early in his career. It was written about 1838 when Lucius O'Brien of Maryland, a lieutenant in the Eighth infantry was visiting a friend, Riley A. Arnold, then a firs! classman. Toeether tht, o,,c( , J -.7 luiujy a congenial evening at Benny's place and, so the story goes, O'Brien and his friends composed a poem about Benny and set It to the tune of "The Wearing of the Green." It Immediately Immediate-ly became popular at West Point and for the next quarter of a century one of the first things a plebe did was to learn to sing "Benny Havens, Oh '" During the summer days of 1SC3 when day after day the steamers bearing home the veterans of the Civil war passed Benny's little cottage on the banks of the Hudson the bands would strike up one tune and Benny would hear hundreds of voices joining In the singing of: Come fill your glasses, fellows and stand up in a row To singing sentimentally we're (coin for to go: In the army there's sobriety promo- tlon's very slow So we'll sing our remlnlscense. of Benny Havens. Oh! CHORUS: Oh! Benny Havens. Oh! Oh! Benny I We'" Han?ensUr0rheriniSCenSeS ' To our kind old Alma Mater, our rock bound Highland Home. Well cast many a fond regret as o'er lifes sea we roam-Until roam-Until on our las! battle field, the light of heaven shall glow K 1 We'll never fail to drink 'to her an Kenny Havens. Oh! anl CHOKl.'S: 'May the Army be augmented may nr motion be less slow y P " .Vlay our country in the hour r be ready for the foe f n"d May we find a soldier's resting , With nea,h a so'r's blow PUc ith room enough besiH for Benny S.."' ve. |